Developments in Libya have been positive and stability within the country seems to be within reach. But we must not forget that the conflict has had severe consequences not only on the everyday lives of the majority of

Libyans, but also on surrounding countries, some of which having been very seriously affected by the turmoil in the region.

One of the neighbouring states in question is Mali, a landlocked country in Western Africa that borders Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal and Mauritania. During a committee meeting of the Political Affairs Committee of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly that took place in Brussels this week, the Malian representative brought our attention to the dire situation that exists in this impoverished state.

According to Mr Assarid Imbarcouane, armed militia that had been previously engaged to aid pro-Gaddafi forces moved back into Mali following the cessation of hostilities in Libya and ravaged village after village. He claimed that numerous Malians lost their lives, and more were raped, injured, robbed and displaced.

In addition, arms that were being used in Libya are also reported to be finding their way into Mali.

But who are these armed militia and what are their intentions? Reports indicate that the culprits are tribesmen called Tuareg that originate from a 1.5 million strong nomadic group from the Sahel region who are likely to have been directly involved in the Libyan conflict and certainly making use of the weapons previously used in Libya. Their quest seems to be the independence of a segment of Northern Mali.

Mali is a young democracy; its one-party system was replaced by a multi-party system and a new Constitution was written following a coup in 1991. The seeming inability of the Malian authorities to push back the insurgents has been brewing discontent within certain segments of the military. Indeed, despite having been considered to be one of the African countries least likely to fall victim to a coup, at the time of writing it is being reported by the New York Times that a group of junior officers have seized control of the presidential palace as well as Mali’s national television station.

The circumstances are precarious. One can understand the challenge involved in controlling sporadic guerrilla attacks by nomadic tribes and the frustration being felt by the military in view of the government’s lack of progress. Nevertheless, the notion that a coup would in any way ameliorate the situation is baffling. Indeed, a change in leadership will do nothing to increase the military’s capabilities. In addition, a presidential election was scheduled to take place next month, with the current President having already stated that he would respect the country’s Constitution and not seek re-election.

So far, those responsible for the coup have claimed that their only objective is that of restoring the stability that has thus far eluded elected authorities. They have suspended the Constitution on the premise that such suspension is temporary and will persist until the situation is such that the restoration of democracy is feasible. This is a very strange claim, especially in view of the fact that elections were scheduled to take place next month. Surely, given the chance, the democratic process would have itself resolved the alleged inefficiencies in leadership. One would be foolish not to suspect that recent actions are nothing more than the opportunistic manipulations of some dictator-in-the-making.

Who would have imagined that the conflict in Libya, which toppled one dictator, would trigger a sequence of events which may give rise to another? The Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly have released a statement condemning the violence in Mali and asserting their belief that a strong link between events in Libya and the unrest in Mali does indeed exist.

Strong condemnation of both the violence in the north as well as the coup has been widespread, with a number of international players considering cutting non-humanitarian aid to the region. At present, Mali’s future remains unclear. What is clear however is that for Mali to have any hope of a stable future the Constitution must be restored and the democratic process must be allowed to run its course.

David Casa is a Nationalist MEP